Disney Parks around the world give people a chance to be transported to other worlds – the past, the future, and the films under the Disney banner, including Pixar, Lucasfilm, and Marvel. A unique opportunity exists at Epcot in Walt Disney World, where each year incredibly detailed topiaries bring to life some of the famous Disney characters seen on screen. Dubbed the Flower and Garden Festival, it is an annual event that is always celebrating some new characters. This year, a new character from Cars 3 made his debut – take a look at his topiary after the break! [Read more…]

Watching the daytime parade at Disney Parks is as essential as taking in the attractions and chowing down on Mickey ice cream bars. Thousands camp out along the parade routes to ensure they have a great viewing position and get their cameras ready to capture the many creative floats that will pass. The Celebrate A Dream Come True parade has been a mainstay at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom since 2009, but that is set to change next year when the Disney Festival of Fantasy Parade will take its place. Included in the parade will be a Merida float, which you can preview after the break!

Brave was the first Pixar film to feature a princess as the lead character. Disney Animation, on the other hand has relied heavily on princesses, who have gone on to become a major symbol for the Walt Disney company. Prior to today, there had been 10 characters named as official Disney Princesses. Coinciding with Mother’s Day weekend, Merida was crowned a Disney Princess by her mother at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom. Check out photos and a video from today’s festivities after the break!

Last week, Walt Disney World held a press event to detail its “Monstrous Summer,” including plans to integrate Pixar’s upcoming film Monsters University into Disney Parks. The campaign is also a way for Disney to raise awareness of the exciting attractions that were recently completed/updated. The event culminated in the temporary-but-still extraordinary transformation of Spaceship Earth at Epcot into Mike Wazowski. Take a look at how Disney was able to implement this tremendous spectacle, and learn who at Pixar helped make this a reality!

Brave was the first Pixar film to feature a story driven by a female protagonist. The character, Merida, was also a princess, which presented interesting questions for Disney/Pixar. Would she remain separate from the other Disney princesses since it was Pixar, not Disney, that was behind the creation of the character? Or would she join the Disney Princess roster and give the line-up its first Scottish influence? We have an answer now and it is the latter, as we hear that Merida will become an official Disney Princess next month!

Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World celebrates the golden age of the film industry, with its beautiful structures and classic theme. The park grounds used to house the home of Walt Disney Feature Animation Florida, which was responsible for the development of such films as Mulan and Lilo & Stitch. That production building was later converted into an attraction where guests can visit and learn how Disney animated characters come to life. There is also a showroom inside that displays concept art for upcoming films. Monsters University concept art was recently added, and you can take a look at the beautiful pieces after the break!

With a test video of Mike Wazowski taking over Spaceship Earth at Walt Disney World’s Epcot theme park leaking out yesterday, we were left wondering just what the spectacle was tied to. With Epcot closed for the night except to the press, a huge Mike projection was shined upon the iconic Epcot structure, to share the announcement that the Magic Kingdom park at Disney World and the Disneyland and California Adventure parks in California would all remain open for a 24-hour stretch at the start of Memorial Day weekend. Watch the gigantic Mike Wazowski make the announcement after the break!

Just yesterday, Walt Disney World debuted the “monsterail,” a monorail at the resort that has been covered with Monsters University characters to promote the release of the upcoming film. Also tying into the film is the “Monstrous Summer” campaign that is currently underway, to not only showcase the Pixar film, but to also emphasize the enormity of the various attractions and events around Disney resort this summer season. There is a press event being held at Disney World through Friday that discusses these aspects of the campaign. Connected to the event, a report has emerged that, in order to help launch the Monstrous Summer campaign, Mike Wazowski will be projected onto the iconic Spaceship Earth at Epcot. Watch how it will look in a video after the break!

Pixar’s parent company, Disney, has more resources to promote its upcoming films than rival studios. The Disney Parks and various Disney channels allow the company to extend its arm beyond the promotion that we see most often, such as trailers and commercials. In addition to organizing “meet and greets” with film characters at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, the company has recently started to theme its park monorails in a creative fashion. Earlier today, Disney World debuted a monorail that is covered with Monsters University characters. Take a look after the break!

Though the official debut is not until next week, the Merida meet-and-greet had a soft opening earlier today at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. While the red-haired character from Brave appeared at the neighboring Epcot a little over a week ago, her time there was more of a testing ground to prepare for her grand entrance at the Kingdom. After the jump, get a first look at her Magic Kingdom debut, with some photos and a video! [Read more…]